Can You Roast Homemade Marshmallows Over A Campfire?
A few food items are forever tied to certain seasons and events. Marshmallows are sweet treats that are hard not to associate with gatherings around an open fire. As a core ingredient in several sweet treats, marshmallows factor into many people's childhood memories.
It's no wonder that marshmallows are so popular. They've been around forever. According to the National Confectioners Association, marshmallows date back to ancient Egypt. French chefs began experimenting with them in the 1800s. By the 1900s, they became popular in the United States and have remained so ever since. Once Americans got a hold of the fluffy, sweet treats — and patented an "extrusion process" in 1948 that made them easier to manufacture — they never looked back.
According to Marketplace, Americans consume 90 million pounds of marshmallows each year. Unsurprisingly, the United States is the top consumer of these sweet confections. While most people buy them in a bag, you can also make them at home. Homemade marshmallows are luxurious and can be customized to meet your flavor preferences. The big question is, can you roast a homemade marshmallow?
Homemade marshmellows can be safely roasted, with some precautions
While most people opt to use store-bought marshmallows in their roasting adventures, you can use homemade marshmallows in your campfire s'mores if you want. You simply need to follow a couple of precautions if you are opting to use homemade 'mallows instead of the type you buy in a bag.
According to Rosy Blu, a blog dedicated to cooking and life in general, homemade marshmallows can be roasted over an open flame as long as they are thick enough and have been given enough time to dry out.
The publication advises home cooks to ensure their marshmallows are at least 1 and 1/4 inch thick if roasting them over an open flame is part of the plan. In addition, they should sit out for several days before attempting to roast them. The blog notes that marshmallows that are too fresh will melt instead of roast, and the sticky mess won't be any good for eating or sandwiching between graham crackers and chocolate.
If you don't use all of your marshmallows during one fire pit session, they will keep for a while. According to Food52, homemade marshmallows have a shelf life of about three weeks if kept in proper conditions. To keep marshmallows fresh for as long as possible, they should be stored in an airtight container in a dry area.